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Greening up my skincare routine: DIY Body Scrub Recipes

I have a confession to make.

Those of you who read Eat Spin Run Repeat probably perceive me as a pretty clean-living kinda gal. I have a passion for vegetables, don’t do a whole lot of boozing, go to bed before many seniors and 10 year olds, and am what you’d call “one of the regulars” at my gym. If I had an online dating profile (and perhaps I should considering dating is one of my 2014 goals), it might read something along the lines of:

“Enjoys running while watching the sun rise, hiking, long walks through the aisles of Whole Foods, and dining at establishments that serve salads in obscenely large bowls. Can pound green smoothies and wheatgrass shots like a champ.”

But there’s one thing that I haven’t been so clean about, and that’s greening up my skincare routine. As a kid, I had some pretty horrific acne. I was on pretty much everything, from Clearasil and Proactiv to more heavy artillery like tetracycline, the Pill, and – shudders at the thought – Accutane. While I take great care to eliminate nasties like preservatives, chemicals and fillers in my food, my skin has been exposed to a whole lotta crap in its 25 years.

It seems coconut oil has become one of the sweethearts in the health & wellness world over the past year, and for good reason too – the stuff is great in many ways! I happen to be very well-stocked at the moment, and I’ve been using it for tons of food-related applications – granola making, as a stir-fry oil, an add-in for homemade snack bars, and as a smoothie booster. But as I’m sure you’re already aware, the uses of coconut oil go far beyond the kitchen. I like to slather it on my feet (other runners – if you’re not doing this, get on it!), rub it into my dry elbows and hands, use it as a makeup remover, shaving lotion, lip balm, and hair moisturizer. Not only does it smell amazing and work like a charm, but it doesn’t contain any of the toxic chemicals that many off-the-shelf ‘beauty’ products do.

This weekend I was bitten by the craft bug, something that happens quite often after browsing Pinterest for extended periods of time. Rather than just looking at and pinning pretty pictures (which often makes me feel productive), I actually MADE something.

As fabulous as coconut oil is on its own, I wanted to venture out and try making my own body scrub with it and a few other easy-to-find, natural ingredients. Most recipes I found called for a combination of the following:

I’ve had some citrus-scented essential oils sitting in my bathroom cupboard for a few weeks (mainly because I intended to do this project last month) so I began dreaming up ingredient combinations that would allow me to use them. I came up with two that I absolutely love, and here they are:

Ginger & Grapefruit Body Scrub

Ingredients:

1/3 cup each almond oil and coconut oil

tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced

3/4 cup sea salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 tsp grated grapefruit zest

20 drops grapefruit essential oil

Instructions:

Put the coconut oil and ginger in a small pot. Switch stove heat to low and allow the coconut oil to melt, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the almond oil. Let the mixture cool for another 5 minutes, then stir in the salt, sugar, grapefruit zest, and a few drops of grapefruit essential oil until an even mixture forms.

Pour the scrub into a mason jar or small jar with a lid.

Stir to re-mix before each use as ingredients may separate.

Not a big fan of grapefruit and ginger? Don’t worry – try this one instead….

Vanilla Citrus Body Scrub

Ingredients:

1/3 cup each almond oil and coconut oil

3/4 cup sea salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 tsp grated orange zest

20 drops tangerine essential oil

Instructions:

Put the coconut oil in a small pot. Switch stove heat to low and allow the oil to melt, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the almond oil. Let the mixture cool for a couple of minutes (it doesn’t need to be very hot for the coconut oil to melt), then stir in the salt, sugar, vanilla, tangerine zest, and a few drops of tangerine essential oil until an even mixture forms.

Pour the scrub into a mason jar or small jar with a lid.

Stir to re-mix before each use as ingredients may separate.

Since Saturday, I’ve used each scrub once and love how energizing the scents are first thing in the morning. Not only are these scrubs free of chemicals, but on a per-use basis, they’re not expensive at all! Now I’m dreaming up new scent combinations and adding more DIY skincare products to my to-make list. After all, I’ve got a mountain of coconut oil to get through. Up next: body lotion and lip balm!

So tell me…

Do you pay attention to the chemicals and ingredients in your skin/body care products? Do you make an effort to buy all-natural or organic ones?

Have you experimented with making your own beauty products? Any recipes to share?

Angela Simpson

My name is Angela and I've got a fiery passion for turning fresh, healthy ingredients into delicious mouth-watering meals. I love veggies, seafood, avocados, and exploring all things wellness in Los Angeles, the city I'm now proud to call home.

That’s another thing on my list, Sherry! I’m not sure if you’ve checked out many recipes, but the ones I’ve seen on Pinterest all look quite similar to this: http://www.slightlysteady.com/homemade-deodorant-stick/. Might just save some of my empty traditional deo sticks so I can give it a try. Let me know if you do!

You can whip the coconut oil up and add any essential oils you like. It is really easy to do with a kitchen aid mixer. It’s a great moisturizer. It might melt when it gets warmer out. But great for the winter months.

Thanks so much for the tip Kristy! I’ve seen some recipes for whipped lotion that use coconut oil, and I think adding some shea butter or cocoa butter to keep it from melting would do the trick. I’ll be giving it a try (and maybe your lip gloss recipe too!)

I make my own deodorant too. I used to use the rock salt stuff and then I started getting a bad reaction to it. I do 1/4 cup arrowroot and 1/4 cup baking soda, with 6-8 tb. Coconut oil and some Tea Tree oil. I put it in a container and keep it in the fridge. Two applications in the morning work great (definetly need the tea tree oil in it though).

These look adorable! I tried making my own crude scrub once with coarse sugar and some olive oil. It wasn’t anywhere near as elegant as this. I try to keep my skincare relatively chemical free. A few weeks back I made my own rosewater toner – it was pretty awesome.

I love making homemade scrubs and beauty products, it’s good to know exactly what you are putting on your skin and fun to make too. I’ve run out of my usual scrubs and will have to give yours a try next!

Absolutely LOVE this! Lately I’ve also been trying to switch to natural skin care (or “green” up my skin care!). I love using coconut oil as a moisturizer but lately I’ve fallen in love with avocado oil! ACV with water is also a great natural toner 🙂 My skins been loving all this natural goodness, I’m definitely going to try out these scrubs, sound great!

I have finally gotten around to reading this post…and all the other ones I’ve missed. I can’t wait to try these!! They both look amazing and I’m sure smell just as good.
Re: online dating, I think my profile would sound similar if I was searching. But believe it or not I met my husband 12 yrs ago online. Booked our wedding two months after we met-I know crazy!! Got married a year later and now here we are 11 years in and two kids in tow….who knew?!?!

Blog reading is what Saturday nights are for. 🙂 Your story about meeting your husband absolutely blows my mind – married after 2 months and still together 11 years later!??! That is amazing, not to mention very inspiring! Sounds like it was definitely meant to be, and those 2 kiddies you’ve got are super cute!

Yes we booked our wedding venue 2mths after meeting. Took a year to date/plan our wedding then tied the knot! I would die if my daughter did that!! Lol!! But yes I guess it was meant to be 🙂 dating/clubbing was never really a big part of my life when I was younger. Funny thing is I messaged my now husband as a bit of a joke with my roommate at the time. Then we ended up meeting on a blind date…one thing led to another and now here I am. It’s not the most common ‘how did you meet story…’ But proof that sometimes unrealistic things can happen! 🙂

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I’m Angela, and I’m so glad you stopped by! If you’re looking for healthy, delicious food, heart-pumping workouts, and inspiration for all things holistic wellness, you’re in the right spot. Have a look around, or learn more about me here.